For years Mexico has
given us millions of illegal
immigrants that keep
wages low and taxes high.
The other day they offered
something new – a model.
Their President, Vicente Fox,
admitted he was wrong.
Bush once promised to grant
amnesty to undocumented
Mexicans. We should let him, if
he’ll also follow Fox’s example.

The President’s news conference,
mostly old, contained a few admissions:
he can’t do anything about gas prices,
Social Security repair means 70%
get smaller benefits, no one knows
when troops might return from Iraq.
The fog of fuzz featured few facts,
but phrases are longer – twelve words
between pauses vs. eight a few years ago.

Hastert says the House will rescind
changes to the ethics rules.
If it does, the committee will launch
an investigation of Tom DeLay.
Hip, Hip, Hurray.
Perhaps they’ll censure him again,
bringing his recent total to four.
It will have as much effect
as the first three. Maybe even more,
since it can’t be less.
Restoring the Committee on Standards
of Official Conduct to glory isn’t […]

No Child Left Behind,
promoted by one Texan,
signed by another,
triggered a $440,000 fine
on Texas by a third.
Since the law generated
intra-family squabbles, no
wonder other states attack.
NCLB sounded good, but Bush
executed it like he did Iraq.

A foot of heavy stuff
left some trees prayerful,
others in scattered shreds.
Overhead wires snapped
and wrapped themselves
‘round random poles.
Most plows had retired,
the rest were out of salt.
No power meant no news,
no poem, and worse, it
wasn’t even Bush’s fault.

The Washington Post says
American Express receipts
prove lobbyists paid for
Tom DeLay’s trip to England.
They also establish he didn’t
report the full cost and exceeded
the time limit for foreign travel
established by House rules.
The ethics committee may
refuse to evaluate the evidence,
but Americans don’t need any
help understanding credit cards.

Some economists seem mystified.
We adjust to fifty-five dollar oil
and increase spending on other stuff.
They say we do less manufacturing,
the price per barrel rose slowly and,
considering inflation, is low enough.
The real reason is the tax cut. It didn’t
create jobs, but without it, average folks
would find paying for gasoline tough.

We all keep records for the IRS,
but they don’t keep records for us.
They spent 2.8 million dollars
on tuition assistance for employees,
but they don’t know who went to class.
They don’t know if anyone passed.
That might not be a major issue,
but recipients that don’t pass a class
have to give the money back.
That’s something the IRS should
care about […]

Eight school districts in three states,
and the largest teacher’s union,
sued the Bush Administration
to stop requiring them to finance
“No Child Left Behind� with local taxes.
They say law insists the federal government
fund anything it demands.
This must mystify President Bush.
He puts everything on the cuff.

The Battle over Bolton bogs down
as allegations of boorishness crop up.
Democrats surely want his nomination stopped,
but do Republicans really care?
If Democrats achieve a victory,
some may hesitate to fight the filibuster rule.
And keeping Bolton’s character in play,
helps divert the spotlight from DeLay.

Ann Coulter made the cover of Time.
That was not sublime.
I have no idea what they said.
No doubt something I would dread.
I scribbled “return” on the envelope.
They’ll pay a hefty price — I hope.
I won’t subscribe again.
That would be a sin.

Ralph Reed attempts to parlay experience as
head of the Christian Coalition, high-priced
political communications consultant, Bush
campaign advisor, and chairman of Georgia
Republicans into Lieutenant Governor.
Is Ralph on a ladder or a slide?
His political base is upset that long-time
friend, “Casino Jack� Abramoff, paid him
more than $4 million to help close some Indian
gambling sites, but didn’t tell Ralph the […]

Not too long ago a major retailer
received bad press because the
contractor who cleaned their stores
at night hired illegal immigrants.
According to the Washington Post, Utah
is taking away driver’s licenses from
tens of thousands of illegal immigrants
and issuing them “driving privilege cards.�
If someone can be identified as being
in this country illegally, why wouldn’t
we deport them? Is the real […]

The House buried permission
for state and local governments
to delay meeting clean air standards
deep in the energy bill. It lets
“downwind� communities wait
to solve problems with their air
until “upwind� polluters fix theirs.
Representative Joe L. Barton,
author of the provision, says
“I’m not trying to abolish standards
or gut the Clean Air Act, I’m just
trying to find a more realistic
solution to […]

Surprised to learn his new rules required
U.S. citizens to show a passport when returning
from Canada, Mexico, or the Caribbean,
President Bush instructed Condoleezza Rice and
the Department of Homeland Security to look
for flexibility to accommodate regular travelers.
“When I first read that in the newspaper
about the need to have passports…I said,
‘What’s going on here?’” His response shocked
everyone. No […]

“I said something in an inartful way…
I shouldn’t have said it that way…
I apologize for saying it that way…
It was taken wrong. I didn’t explain…
or clarify my remarks, as I’m clarifying
them here. I am sorry that I said it that way…
I shouldn’t have.”
As President Bush has said:
“That sure clears things up, doesn’t it?â€?

One would think the wars in Iraq,
Afghanistan, and Terror would
be enough for one country,
but Republicans want more war.
They are angry at some judges and
with faces red and fists pounding
they risk a Senate meltdown
to end nomination filibusters.
If Republicans succeed in this
power grab, Democrats should
refuse any “unanimous consent�
until they restore the old rule.
That would slow the Senate […]

Majority Leader Frist asked
Senators to separate immigration
from the supplemental military
spending bill. He wants to stop
them from packing pet projects
into this unstoppable measure.
He didn’t mention amendments
that provide funds to repair forest
roads in California and build a
baseball stadium in DC, or one
to let Mississippi drill for oil in
the Gulf Coast National Seashore.
The Appropriations Committee
says this “straightforward bill�
meets […]

Majority Leader Tom DeLay enjoyed
a golfing excursion to Scotland, so did
Republican committee chair Bob Ney.
Both $100,000 trips appear to be
indirect gifts from a busy lobbyist.
The Congressmen claim they followed
House rules scrupulously. Lawyers
for lobbyist “Casino Jack� Abramoff
say his actions “are commonplace
in Washington, and totally proper.�
If House policy approves of lavish gifts
to members, or their staffs, they […]

Not too many years ago we
solved Social Security’s
problem. We raised taxes
to create a trust fund to pay
for the bulge of baby boomers.
Now Bush says there’s nothing
there. He doesn’t know he spent it?
Selling his non-solution to his
“crisis” strips the fund of millions
more. As in Viet Nam, we are
burning a village to save it.